


When True Hearts Lie Withered

by AI_Faervel



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Fluff Turned Hurt, Pre RWBY, Team STRQ - Freeform, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 17:57:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5835334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AI_Faervel/pseuds/AI_Faervel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team STRQ. It's been a couple of years since their graduation. They're full fledged Hunters and Huntresses now. They swore off love, marriage, and children--or at least that's what they had said late one night in their final year at Beacon and having some intense team bonding heart to hearts. Of all the people to break it first, it's a Branwen--one of the LAST people on Remnant who anybody thought would actually settle down. Everybody's money had always been on Taiyang. Well. They were half right. Raven and Taiyang are getting married. Yes, to each other. No, Taiyang isn't being forced to against his will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hungover

**Author's Note:**

> Title does indeed come from the poem _The Last Rose of Summer_ by Thomas Moore. It seemed fitting even though the story is being told from Qrow's point of view. 
> 
> Yes, this story is going with the headcanon that Qrow/Summer were a thing before Taiyang/Summer happened.
> 
> No, I am not going to explain why Raven left (I'll touch on it, but not in great detail), nor am I going to explain what happened to Summer (I don't think her dying is really going to come up in this story either, though there's a sort of epilogue that's like current day and hints at it).
> 
> This all takes place before RWBY's time, so RWBY and co aren't going to make much of an appearance here with the exception of Yang. Starts off around Taiyang & Raven's wedding and will end around Taiyang & Summer's wedding (which is why Yang will make an appearance but won't have much of a main role).
> 
> I decided to tell this form Qrow's point of view mostly because we haven't really been introduced to the other members of STRQ the way we have with QROW. Raven's only showed up and had a few lines. We can make conjectures about personality from that, but it's nothing concrete. Taiyang's only made an appearance and been spoken of by his daughters. And Summer is supposedly dead, but we're given glues via the songs used in RWBY. Not much to go on, see?
> 
>  
> 
> _If parts of this (specifically the chapters Wedding Day & Take Two) look familiar and you're about to call me out on copying someone because you saw it on tumblr first as part of a series called Remnant Conversations... FYI: f3ideas is me! This is one of the stories I'm developing further. (It's also stated on the blog under the "About Me" section.) And yes, I've modified it slightly from the original posting I put on tumblr. (f3ideas is just a dumping ground for raw ideas, remember, so this is the updated, edited version of it.)_
> 
> I'm also terribly sorry I haven't updated RWBYlot yet. (Holidays hit, then someone got married, and then school started.) I am working on it and plan on updating/finishing it, but it's slow going between new ideas hitting me and school work not to mention other real life things getting in the way.

The rough, violent pounding on his front door echoes in his head. Groggily, he gets up and stumbles to the front door. “What do ya want?” he slurs out, cracking the door open and wincing as the bright light of the midday sun blinds him. On some faint level he recognizes the aura signature standing in front of him, so when they push the door open he stumbles back into the comforting darkness of his heavily curtained living room without pause or worry. The door closes and he falls back onto his couch. “Give me a minute,” he groans. He normally didn’t have hangovers this bad, but some old friends had visited him for the weekend and they had gone partying. Hard. 

“You would be drunk,” sighs the woman. Nevertheless, she sits down on the small coffee table he has and faces him. “Get up Qrow, we need to talk.”

“I said give me a minute,” he grumbled, but slowly, he sits up with his arms thrown up on the couch. “And since when did _we_ ever _need_ to talk?” he asked, a spark of his usual self showing through, suggesting that maybe he wasn’t as hungover as he thought he was. 

“I’m getting married.”

Whatever half jaded insults he had planned to launch at her quickly quieted themselves and failed to come out of his slack jawed, open mouth. “Seriously?” he spluttered. 

His eyes have adjusted and he can make out his sister giving him a wry smile. “Seriously? That’s all you have to say?” she muses. Even if he isn’t completely hungover, he’s wise enough to not fall into her trap and stays quiet. A short, amused laugh escapes her. “Yes, _seriously_.”

“Unh… okay… Who’s the schmuck you managed to brainwash into marrying you?” He knows she likes to mess with him, but this time around she sounds pretty sincere. She also went to the trouble of reaching out to him _and_ visiting him herself. Something in the back of his mind bashes against him, trying to jog a memory. It takes him a moment, but he slowly begins to recall that maybe, just maybe, his sister had actually contacted him and warned him she was going to visit too. Oops. So this really was, for lack of a better word, serious. Another laugh, but she’s not laughing at him this time around. “What’s so funny?” he inquires. But she only continues to laugh. “What? Is it actually a girl? ‘Cause you know I’d be cool with that too.” He’s actually not sure what he’d make of that… but right now he doesn’t feel any particular way about the idea, so he supposes he’d be pretty okay with it if his sister was actually getting married to a woman. 

Her laughter only increases until she’s actually shaking and holding her sides. “You’d peg me for a dyke?” she finally manages to wheeze out.

“Hey,” he starts, leaning forward, finger pointed at her accusingly. He regrets the action almost immediately. The sudden movement makes his head sway and he has to close his eyes for a moment. “They’re people too.”

Her laughter slows to a standstill and she inclines her head at him. “Poor word choice. Didn’t know you cared.”

“I know some people,” he answers, accepting her apology. 

She raises an eye at him and the playful glint in her eyes reminds him of who he’s talking to and he mentally swears. She doesn’t press him for more information or teases him either. She just sits there for a very, very long moment with that knowing, playful look in her eyes. She’s not going to bring it up now, but she’s not going to forget it either. He’ll get an earful later. “The schmuck’s name is one you should recognize.”

“Doubt it,” he scoffs. “Nobody I hang out with would ever be crazy or dumb enough to marry you.”

She flashes him a wide, taunting grin then. “Really?” she drawls out. “Care to make a bet?”

“With you? A Grimm’s got a better chance of landing a scratch on me,” he laughs. He might be hungover, but he’s not stupid. No way in hell he’s going to be making a bet with her. Not in this life or the next.

She tries to goad him into it for the next couple of minutes, but he steadfastly refuses. He is not losing any Lien to her in a bet she’s already calculated herself to have won. He knows his sister. As reckless and flashy as she can get, she doesn’t do anything without considering the risks and what she stands to gain from it. “Taiyang.”

“...” He shakes his head in disbelief. “You two idiots are getting married?” he asks, still not quite believing it. Oh, he knew Taiyang and his sister had always been close, but Taiyang had never really expressed a romantic interest in her before. “How’d _that_ happen?”

“Long story,” chuckles Raven, “You really want to hear it?”

He consider it for a moment. “Not interested,” he half sighs, half yawns, throwing up his feet onto the coffee table, only Raven’s taken up his usual spot and his feet end up in her lap. She’s annoyed by that, he knows, but he does it anyway. “So when’s the big day?”

She eyes his feet before shoving them out of her lap. He stubbornly fights her though. “In a few months,” she replies, glaring daggers at him. He does the mature thing by grinning and sticking out a tongue at her and taunting her by saying she’s not strong enough to push him off. It eventually leads to a fist fight as Raven stops trying to push his feet off and instead grabs his leg to throw him across the room. But there’s no way in hell that he’s going to just _let_ her do that, so he catches her by the arm. Needless to say, they can’t help themselves from a little action. “Don’t tell Tai I came by.”

He’s suddenly reminded that Taiyang said he wanted to talk with him and that he’s supposed to be having dinner with him tonight. It offsets the realization that his sister had called Taiyang “Tai” and that there was a definite affectionate underlying tone to it when she had. He grunts in response. With anything else he probably would’ve just told her that he could do what he wanted, but considering it’s marriage-- _actual_ marriage--he’s willing to let it go. He probably would’ve also said something mildly insulting too, regardless, but seeing as he’s current pinned by his sister sitting on his back cross legged, he doesn’t quite have the air to do so. He raises an arm and taps her leg, hoping she’ll finally get off of him. 

“Oh, right, I forgot.” Bullshit. She was doing it on purpose and she knows it. His point is further emphasized by the fact that she takes her sweet time getting off of him, even going so far as to actually stand on his back for a moment. “I only came by to let you know since Tai’s a little—”

“Nervous? I know.” He can still recall the time he tried to get Taiyang to just take a sip of alcohol. They were finally legal and Taiyang had kept saying he wanted to see what was so great about it that he kept a flask around… only he wouldn’t actually order a drink or when he did it’d just sit there until someone came by and thought it was something they had ordered and drank it for him. It had taken him the better of a night and most of the morning to finally get Taiyang to have a tiny, tiny sip. And it wasn’t even strong. He could only imagine how well Taiyang was taking the wedding. “What’s the big deal anyway? It’s just a life long contract.”

“It’s a wedding Qrow, don’t be so negative,” sighed Raven, taking his spot on the couch.

Legs sprawled out, he threw out his arms and leaned back on them. The floor was just fine. He was used to sleeping on floors, admittedly they were usually much dirtier and rougher than carpeting, but floors were floors. “Well it’s the truth.”

She shoots him an exasperated look but doesn’t say anything to contradict him. “The wedding’s not the only thing he has to talk to you about.”

“Okay? Ozpin give us another super secret mission or something?”

“I’m pregnant.”

If he was or is still hungover he’s certainly not now. His head has stopped buzzing and it’s eerily quiet, probably the quietest it’s ever been. Raven. Pregnant. Little Ravens. Little Taiyangs. It was his worse nightmare. “No, no, no, no,” he groaned. This was not supposed to happen. Ever. Raven had said she wasn’t interested in kids. Raven was not supposed to be marriage material. Oh hell. Why was this happening? Why now? Damn it. He had thought if he ever had to deal with this unlikely and highly improbable scenario he’d much, much older. Older, Future Qrow was supposed to be the one who got to deal with this shit. Not him.

And suddenly there was laughter. 

He’s going to kill her. 

“That is NOT funny, Raven!” he yells as she practically skips out the door.


	2. Dinner

“You’re late.”

He grins and catches Taiyang’s hand in a loose handshake. “Aren’t I always?” Settling into his chair, he picks up a menu. He stares at it for a moment and then sets it down, picking up the beverages menu instead. Leave it to Taiyang to pick some indie restaurant with food that looks gross and has even grosser descriptions. Fortunately, alcoholic beverages seem universal no matter how weird and shady the food gets. 

“Can I talk to you about something?” inquired Taiyang after setting his menu down on the table. He wasn’t meeting Qrow’s eyes and instead had them glued to the menu, lilac eyes nervously going over every item again and again. Qrow’s barely managed to lean back in his chair when Taiyang starts rapidly speaking anyway. “I’ve been dating your sister. She’s great. I like her. I think she really likes me too. We’ve been dating for nearly two years now. I know, I know, relationships are hard especially considering our job, but it just sort of happened and we’ve been talking about getting married for a couple of weeks now and I popped the question here last week and she said yes. But I want to do it right and get your permission first. I mean since your parents are dead and all, erm, I mean that was insensitive of me, but the point is I want to do this right and I love her. I’m marrying her. Your sister. Raven, I mean.”

“Taiyang Xiao Long,” he started, in a low, rough voice, eyes narrowing to glare at him while he closed his menu and tapped it against the table menacingly. Taiyang finally tore his eyes off of the menu and looked up at him. Asides from his more than obvious nervousness from the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead and the way he couldn’t stop drumming his fingers, there was also a hint of fear in his eyes. He really wanted to enjoy this, but he couldn’t help but dissolve into a fit of laughter. “Sorry, sorry, I just couldn’t help it,” he explained, wiping away a tear. 

“Qrow, I’m serious!” frowned Taiyang, the beginning of a pout about to form. “I love Raven and I want to marry her!”

“I heard ya and honestly I don’t really care.” He raised a hand to silence him and opened up the drink menu on the table, ready to point it out to their waiter whenever he came by. The name was atrociously long and likely a foreign brand, but it sounded good—besides, who could go wrong with vodka? “Yeah, she’s my sister, but you know how Raven and I are.” Taiyang eyes him warily but nods. “S’long as she’s okay with it, I’m okay with it.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. Raven’s a big girl. She can handle herself. ‘Sides… I thought you’d be smarter than that. Of allll the women in Remnant you’re gonna marry _my_ sister? Have you forgotten about Beacon already?” he laughs, hoping to have teased him enough to get him to relax. “I mean, I dunno ‘bout you, but she was pretty crazy then. Still crazy now, but ya know… to each his own.”

It does the trick and Taiyang breaks out into a broad smile and laughs alongside of him. “No, I haven’t, but you were pretty wild too, Qrow.”

“What? Me, wild? Nah,” scoffs Qrow in denial. “Raven was wild, I was adventurous and you and Summer… well… you two were just boring. Though if I had to pick between you two, I’d choose Summer. She’s a hell of a lot less boring than you Taiyang.”

Their waiter eventually comes and they stop recounting tales of their time at Beacon to place their orders. The waiter insists on Qrow ordering a dish to go with his drink, but Qrow adamantly refuses. Taiyang just watches with mild amusement. He’s used to Qrow’s antics by now and knows that the man knows his limits exceptionally well. The only time he’s ever seen Qrow truly drunk and hungover is when he’s got nothing planned and has both the money and time to go all out. Otherwise he’s just buzzed at most. After a few minutes of Qrow essentially annoying and humiliating the waiter, they’re left to talk privately again.

“We’re still working out details, but I’d like you to be my best man.”

“Ya sure ‘bout that buddy?” inquires Qrow. “I mean, you know me.” He nods towards the drink menu lightly. “Can’t make any promises about my behavior. You’d be liable for that.”

Taiyang’s face drops momentarily as he takes his words into consideration. “Summer will be there. I trust her to keep you in line.”

Oh, ho, ho, ho. That was a good one. “Well, I might just have to take you up on that then. Best man, huh?”

“Raven wants Summer to be the maid of honor.”

Sighing, Qrow frowns and leans back in his seat. “I guess that means no hitting on the bridesmaids?”

“Your sister has friends?” teases Taiyang good-naturedly.

He has to give him that one. “All right, I’ll do it. Just don’t make me give a speech or anything.” If there’s one thing he hates, it’s public speeches. And long dresses. Mini skirts and skirts in general are the way to go, though short dresses are fine too. Ahh, mini skirts…

He’s missed most of what Taiyang just said, only catching the tail end of his words. “.. considering doing it just because Summer’s there, are you?”

“What makes you say that?” he asks, nodding in appreciation at their waiter as he sets the bottle of vodka down on his side of the table before giving Taiyang his dinner, which is basically some weird orange-brown mush looking thing. “I don’t have a thing for Summer.”

“Everyone knows you’re interested in Summer.”

Sighing, he uncaps the bottle and pours himself a generous cup before tipping it towards Taiyang who promptly shakes his head in response. “More for me,” he shrugs. “And I am not interested in her in that way. I’ve been working on this girl for a while now—might bring her to the party.”

“Qrow, you work a lot of girls, but you never actually introduce any of them to us,” sighs Taiyang, shoving a spoonful of the mush into his mouth. “Oh, this is pretty good. You want to try?” Qrow just raises an eye at him as if he had just asked for him to cut off his arm. Shrugging, Taiyang takes another spoonful. “You like Summer. I know it. Raven knows it.”

“Raven told you.” Taiyang breaks under his gaze and looks away, twirling his spoon in the sickening paste. “I am never drinking with her again,” grumbles Qrow lightly. It had only been once, but clearly once had been one too many. “Anyway, she’s not interested.”

“Oh?”

“Talked to her lately?” Taiyang shakes his head and begins eating again. “Well I have. She’s seeing someone.” Taiyang momentarily chokes on his current mouthful and Qrow slides his glass of water towards him. “Yeah, I know, shocked me too.”

Coughing, he takes another long swallow. “... Ugh… You didn’t think to warn me?”

“Consider it payback.”

“For what?!” But Qrow doesn’t answer him and just gives him a small, secretive smile. “Raven?” groans Taiyang. When his smile widens Taiyang just lets out another dismayed groan. “I’m not even going to ask what she did this time.” Sighing, he eyes his dinner for a second and then flicks his eyes back up towards him. “So who is it?”

“Dunno. Wouldn’t say,” shrugged Qrow, taking another sip. “Sounds happy though, maybe she’ll bring him to the wedding.”

“Un-huh. Like you’re going to bring this girl you’ve been ‘working’ on?” he asks, throwing up air quotes, clearly believing him.

“She could be the one,” retorts Qrow jokingly, raising his glass up, tipping it towards him. “You and Raven have inspired me.”

“And I’ll marry Summer,” scoffs Taiyang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record... I have no idea what Taiyang was eating. Be creative. Something that tastes great but looks atrocious and is orangey-brown.


	3. Never-more

“So explain to me why we’re out… in the middle of nowhere... on a Grimm hunting mission a week before your wedding... instead of at your bachelor party?” sighs Qrow as he lands on the forest floor after taking out a Nevermore by cutting it’s head off. He fires at an Ursa in Taiyang’s blind-spot before letting his scythe revert back into a sword and drops it into the ground, leaning on it. “Pretty sure the higher ups wouldn’t have minded you taking two days off.”

“Because,” starts Taiyang before turning to knockout a looming Beowolf, “I don’t need one. They’re a waste of money.”

“Weddings are a waste of money,” snorts Qrow. “And yet you’re throwing one. So why not go all the way?” Bringing up his sword, he turns to face a pair of Beowolves and deflects one of their attacks. “I did not accept being your best man just so I could babysit you.” He parries another blow before countering with his own. “I wanted to babysit the bridesmaids!” 

“So you aren’t bringing that girl after all?!” grunts out Taiyang, dealing with the rest of the pack.

“What girl?!”

 

“... Raven…” Raven walked by her yet again. The second time she did so, she reached out and grabbed her arm. Pausing and finally taking notice of her, Raven looked down at her only to catch her eyes averted elsewhere. Following her line of sight, Raven swore. “We have to help them.”

“QROW! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

Sighing, she followed after the agitated bride, murmuring apologies to her wedding manager and similar individuals. Pulling her hood down, she blinked after Raven.

 

“Why are we running back to the city?!” yelled out Qrow, deflecting ranged attacks the Nevermores were launching at them while trying to get in as many lethal shots as he could. Unfortunately, these Nevermores seemed far more experienced than the ones they usually ran into. He was beginning to understand why this mission had become a top priority and been offered to Team STRQ. Sadly, they hadn’t thought much of that particular fact and glossed over it. 

“Clear out Grimm, you said. It’ll be easy!” Okay. _He_ had glossed over the fact that it had technically been offered to _Team_ STRQ and not any member or members of STRQ. 

“Not my fault they didn’t label them as ancients!” Really. How was he supposed to know that they were there to primarily deal with the ancient Nevermores residing there?

“You could’ve READ the assignment!” Orrrrr they could’ve included that in the title. _Ancient Nevermore Clearing_ would’ve been FAR more informative and cautionary than _Grimm Clearing Needed ASAP_.

“Not my fault!” 

“QROW!”

“Not—”

“QROW! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Sending off another round of shells into the Nevermore that didn’t seem to have any affect, he dodged another shower of feathers. “KILL THE NEVERMORES FIRST AND I WON’T COMPLAIN!” Leave it to his sister to put her feelings first isntead of the mission, as usual.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” started Raven, the full force of her anger currently pinpointed on Qrow who was leaning up against the remains of a tree and filling out the report of their latest successful mission.

“Honey…”

Wheeling on Taiyang, she continued. “That includes you! What were you two thinking?!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault—”

“R-Raven, the wedding starts in a few hours…”

Raven pauses mid tirade and breathes in deeply, eyes closed. When her eyes snap open again she’s still clearly angry. “You two,” she growls, eyeing the man she’s about to marry and her annoying, older twin brother, “are lucky that I didn’t have to fight in my wedding dress.”

“We—” Taiyang’s words are cut off as Qrow promptly kicks him in the leg, daring to raise a finger to his lips and shaking his head lightly. Taiyang clamps his mouth shut and heavily nods. 

“Come on, Summer,” continues Raven, turning on her heels and stomping away from them.

Summer waves a small goodbye at them before chasing after Raven. “She’s going to kill me,” groans Taiyang when they’re out of earshot, head between his hands. “I was supposed to call her every day we were out there. I think I called her twice. Twice. We’ve been away for over a week.”

“And this is exactly why you should’ve just had a bachelor party,” sighs Qrow, hitting the send button and putting away his scroll. “She won’t kill you.”

“What makes you say that?” 

“She’ll kill me first. And I’m not going down without a fight. I’ll maim her enough so that she can’t actually kill you.” He’s only half serious. He highly doubts Raven will actually carry through with her threat, and even if she does, he doesn’t see himself losing. He still needs to get back at her for beating him a couple months back. 

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Welllll,” starts Qrow, “It _is_ your fault.”

“I’m not the one who did the debriefing.”

“But you _are_ the one who decided to work and take on a mission instead of partying.” They stare one another down then. “You know I’m ri~ight.”

Groaning, Taiyang admits defeat. “Fine. You’re right. It’s my fault. Help me make it better?”

Laughing, Qrow helps him up. “Just make sure the rest of the wedding goes as planned. It’s just pre wedding jitters is all.”

Taiyang raises a lilac eye up at him. “Pre wedding jitters, really, Qrow?”

“It’s Raven,” answers Qrow simply. 

“Good point,” agrees Taiyang after a long moment of chewing over that particular fact. “Fighting off the Nevermores probably just helped her blow off some steam.”

“Mhmm. Good to know you’re not a total schmuck, Xiao Long.”

Rolling his eyes, he grabs Qrow by the scruff of his shirt and pulls out his flask. “All right, wise guy, time to go. We’ve got a wedding to get ready for.” He doesn’t let go and drags Qrow after him despite his complaints and obscenities. It’s the only way to make sure the man showers off properly _and_ wears the suit Raven got for him otherwise he’s going to show up in his usual wear. Raven’s made it perfectly clear: his one and only job is to make sure Qrow shows up for the ceremony dressed and sober. A difficult task, but one he doesn’t dare fail on—especially after that fiasco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, sorry this chapter is pretty lackluster... :/ We haven't really been introduced to STRQ's fighting styles so I kept it pretty short and vague. I did want to write a fight scene though. :/ Oh well. Maybe I'll revisit it when/if RT ever introduces STRQ to us some more. (If it's going to be through podcasts or something that's a different story altogether. I tend to just stick with the episodes.)
> 
> Qrow: HEY! At least nobody can ever say they don't remember the wedding!  
> Roman: It'll be a GREAT story to tell the kids!  
> Faervel: GET OUT OF HERE ROMAN. You're not in this story!
> 
> Oh... and yeah, I'm also headcanoning them as twins. They're on the same team... therefore same year... he's called 'uncle' by the girls... go figure. People can start having graying hair even when they're young. >_> It's possible. If you don't like it, oh well. The basis of this whole fic is pretty much headcannoning anyway since we haven't learned much yet.
> 
> I'm also sort of assuming that Summer has a semblance similar to Ruby's, not exactly super speed per se, but maybe something along the lines of shunpo (flash steps) from Bleach (if you've seen/read it), which is why I made use of the word "blink" when describing Summer going after Raven.


	4. Wedding Day

Tugging on his tie, he loosened it as he walked down the hall that led to Raven’s dressing room. Running his hand through his hair, he lets his bangs fall. Taiyang should’ve known better than to try to gel his hair back. In front of Raven’s room, he knocks once and then pushes the door open. She’s sitting in front of a vanity, doing her make up and fixing her hair. He leans against the doorway, watching until she notices him there. Her easy, relaxed breathing quickens for a moment and her shoulders stiffen, but he gives her a small, reassuring smile and she relaxes again. Seeing her in her dress just about ready to go, the reality of it all finally hits him. 

“So… you really gonna get married, huh?” asked Qrow quietly. Raven meets his eyes through the mirror questioningly. Chuckling, he pulls out an all too familiar flask as her eyes lock onto the object and she frowns. “What?” he muttered, catching her eyes before she rolls them. He takes a swig and lets it settle in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. The semi-bitter taste helps to steel himself for what he’s about to do. He’ll never admit it to anyone, but one of the reasons he drank so much as to calm his nerves. Liquid courage. “Never thought I’d see the day,” he admitted, no hint of sarcasm or teasing in his words.

She smiles at him then. “If I can get married, you can too.” He knows what she’s hinting at, but he doesn’t rise to her more than obvious bait. He’s aware of the fact that Taiyang probably told her how dinner had gone. So he raises his flask at her and takes another sip. “Are you okay with this?” she asks, gesturing at herself vaguely and then in the direction where Taiyang’s room was. 

He can’t help but laugh at this. “Since when have you ever listened to anything I said?” 

She grins and dips her head in acknowledgement of the fact that she and Qrow, despite being twins, had rarely ever agreed on anything without first causing some form of mass mayhem and destruction. “I don’t,” she conceded, “but… you’re the only family I’ve got left, so like it or not, your opinion does matter. He’s also your teammate.”

He’s surprised she can be so mature too, but it _is_ a wedding, so some sense of sensibility is in order. He lets a weary sigh escape him then. The two of them have been asking him if he’s okay with them getting married for some time now—Taiyang mostly, but Raven asks it on occasion and he can tell from her body language when she wants to ask but doesn’t too. “Look, it’s your life. If you want to marry him, marry him. Don’t ask me again. The _only_ thing I’m concerned about is how the two of you knuckleheads are going to raise a kid together—and don’t come looking to me or Summer for help when it happens.” He sends her a cheeky grin then.

“I got you pretty good with that one, didn’t I?” she cackles, sticking out her tongue at him. “I might have even recorded it. I’m sure I could get them to play it at the wedding.”

“Oho, ho, ho, that’s not very bride-like of you,” he warns, swaying a finger. 

“Oh shut up, Qrow. It’s my wedding day, I can do what I want.” To further emphasize her point, she turns around in her chair, steps up to grab his flask, takes a long, hard drink, and then shots him a smug look, flask still in her hand.

“Hey, you can’t do that,” complained Qrow, swiping it back from her only to miss as she promptly pulled away, once again sticking out her tongue at him. 

“I can and I am~” she teases. She gently shakes it. “Good quality you got here. Might not be good enough for me though...”

“All right, all right,” he grumbles, knowing her threat is real. Smiling, she returns him his flask without taking another sip or dumping it out. Unfortunately it’s already half empty. He fiddles with the cap for a moment before twisting it back on and slipping his flask back out of sight. “Honestly… I think you two are good for each other. You guys can make it work.”

When Raven fails to say anything back, he looks up at her, worried. He finds her staring at him in complete and utter shock. He raises his hands up as if she’s pointing a loaded gun at him. “Hey, whoa, what’d I say? Don’t arrest me for speaking the truth!” She regains her composure and grabs the nearest thing at hand—thankfully just a hairbrush. He barely manages to dodge it in time by dropping to the ground before it hits the doorway and harmless drops on top of his head. Standing back up, he tosses the brush back at her. “Hey! What happened to being the only family you got left?! That could’ve killed me!”

She snorts at this. “Right. If that killed you, you don’t deserve to be a Hunter—or the godfather to any children Tai and I might have. … Though considering the stunt you two pulled today I might just have to revise that and reconsider having kids altogether.”

He was just about to tease her back about the way she had had him do a mission for her so she could go shopping for dresses—which he still didn’t understand why women made it such a big deal—but as she revealed her future plans for him he found himself at a loss for words. “Me? A godfather?”

Raven plays with her hair absently, fingers threading through the dark tresses. A tell-tale sign that she’s uncomfortable. “Yeah… We talked about it for a little bit, you know, just in case we do have kids and something happened to us…” She looks up just in time to spy Qrow’s look and his half opened mouth about to protest about them not dying any time soon and shifts her body to get his attention. “I know, I know, but the fact is… we’re _Hunters_. Something could happen.” She pauses for a moment and the morning’s events come crashing back. “We just wanted a vague contingency plan just in case, you know?”

Whatever comment he had been planning to make about the both of them being too good to die so young catches in his throat and dies there. He has to give her that one, especially after this morning. As good as they are, and as much as they like to brag and show off, the truth of the matter is that each and every single one of them could die at any moment. As a Hunter they were _always_ on the job. Being a Hunter meant giving up any sense of having a normal life in order to make sure that everyone else could. “Well, look at you… allll grown up. Who’d have thought?”

Her fingers still and return to her lap. The softness in her voice that he didn’t think she was capable of hardens and a mirthless laugh escapes her. “You could grow a pair and—”

“Ah, ah, ah, today’s all about you sis, not me,” he tuts before they engage in a stare off. “Fine! You win!” he exclaims as she sticks out her tongue at him yet again. “But,” he clarifies, “Just to make this clear, it’s only because it’s your wedding day. You did _not_ win. I’ll ask her to dance. Once.”

“Doesn’t count. You’re the best man and she’s my maid of honor. You’re going to have to ask her to dance anyway. _Remember_? And if you even _think_ of trying to get out of that one I’ll—”

“Okay, okay,” sighed Qrow in mock weariness. Honestly, he had been hoping she had forgotten that little tidbit. “I’ll… buy her a drink.”

But Raven just smiled and shook her head. “Open bar,” she answered.

Slack jawed, he stared at her for a moment. “Damn it, Raven, why would you do that?!” So much for this plans of acting like a gentleman and offering to buy drinks for girls at the party. Though on the other hand… this meant there’d be some prime alcohol tonight. Unless they had only invested in the cheap stuff, but knowing Raven…

“I thought you’d be thrilled,” replied Raven, barely able to contain her laughter.

And that answered everything for Qrow in a heartbeat. “It was Taiyang’s idea wasn’t it?” The laughter was all he needed, but Raven nodded anyway. “Is he still afraid I’m going to hand his ass to him or something since we’re friends and you’re my sister?”

“You know how nervous he can get,” hums Raven, checking her make up. 

Another sigh escapes Qrow, but this time it sounds more genuine. He didn’t know where Taiyang had gotten the idea from, but the man was convinced he would be eternally hateful towards him for marrying his sister. He kept going on about some rule about best friends not dating their best friend’s siblings. “Okay, fine… I’ll…” Shit, what was he going to do? “... I dunno, I’ll make sure she gets home all right tonight.” He catches sight of his sister’s waggling brows and immediately clarifies before she can say anything. “I was _not_ insinuating _anything_. It’s a wedding with an open bar, Raven. I know Summer doesn’t drink, but it _is_ a wedding—and your wedding at that. Summer’ll probably have one or two drinks in celebration. And knowing you, you’re going to insist we all take a team shot for good luck or something.” 

“Okay, point taken,” sighed Raven. They both knew about Summer’s less than reputable tolerance for alcohol all too well. Crossing her arms, she considered it for a moment. “I suppose... that’ll do.” Qrow murmurs a gentle noise that sounds a lot like relief. Mischievous glint to her eyes, she adds, “Though if you two _do_ get—”

“Raven!”

“What?! I’m just looking out for you, _big brother_.”

Qrow narrows his eyes at her in a half-hearted glare and pulls out his flask again. “Don’t ever call me that. Coming from you, it’s just creepy.” She chuckles as he takes a large gulp before moving out from the doorway and letting the door swing shut. “Women and weddings…”

“I heard that!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It'll probably be a couple of days before I had the next set of chapters, which likely be the wedding itself and Qrow meeting Yang for the first time. 
> 
> I'm debating if I actually want to write the wedding scenario itself or just skip ahead to the reception... It's mostly because what I know of western wedding is limited since I've only ever been to one once and I was like... seven. My community's version of a wedding is uh... verrrrry different from western weddings. All I know is that classic movie presentation of a wedding "aisles... do you... I do... whoooo" and I feel that isn't enough to warrant actually writing the scene out in detail. Also don't know how much research I _want_ to do for this short series. So we'll see if you guys get a service+reception or just the reception. 
> 
> As for Qrow meeting Yang... Mmmm, I'm also debating how I want that to happen. Shenanigans are in store though, so it'll still be fairly fluffy.
> 
> I'm not sure if I want the next segment to also include the whole "Raven Leaving" fiasco that's bound to happen or not yet. It'll depend on my writing mood and how the idea flows in my head. If it goes well, it'll be included, if not it'll probably come with the next set of chapters (which would be Taiyang/Summer/Qrow stuff +background Yang & no mother).


End file.
